The 2026 Peter Benchley Ocean Awards are slated to be given out on Thursday, May 7 during a gala at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California.
The 2026 award honorees include:
- Excellence in Action — Marcela Gutiérrez-Graudins, Founder and Executive Director of Azul
- Christopher Benchley Youth Award — Cojita Senananyake, Founder of Project Cee Green
- Excellence in National Leadership Award — Regional Government of the Azores President Jose Manuel Bolieiro
- Excellence in Science & Exploration — Dr. Dive Amon, Marine Biologist, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory, University of California Santa Barbara and Director, SpeSeas
- Excellence in Media — “Ocean With David Attenborough”
- Excellence in Policy — U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (California 2nd Congressional District)
- Ocean Hero — Julie Packard, Executive Director of Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Excellence in Sustainable Business Solutions — Bureo Inc.
The Peter Benchley Ocean Awards was founded on the idea that individuals across every field of marine discipline are doing outstanding work — providing solutions to the challenges faced by the ocean, coastlines and wildlife — and they need to be acknowledged and honored.
Co-founded by Wendy Benchley and David Helvarg and named in honor of Peter Benchley, author of “Jaws” and lifelong shark and ocean advocate, the Benchley Awards were established to recognize and celebrate the work and dedication of these individuals and to foster cross-discipline collaboration to expand innovative ocean solutions.
Now in collaboration with the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP), a coalition of 35 aquariums in 23 states and two countries dedicated to marine conservation that reaches more than 35 million visitors yearly, the Benchley Awards “remain unwavering in their dedication to honoring and celebrating individuals who champion ocean excellence at every level.”
To learn more about the Peter Benchley Awards, go to peterbenchleyoceanawards.org.
